“It is definitely a unique experience,” said Nosal, who was eliminated from competition on the second day. “I was a little nervous, but I was pretty comfortable with the whole thing. After my first match, I felt more at ease with everything.

“I realized when I got out there that this would be the end of my high school career. It hit me, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by it. I went out there and did what I could. I believe wrestling in District 11 and the Southeastern Regional is the toughest thing to do.”

The 220-pound Nosal (27-7) began his trek with a tight 3-2 loss to Noah Wiencek of Derry Area. From there, he went into the consolation bracket and pinned Tyler Zabrovious of Lakeview in 2:32.

In his final match, Nosal battled throughout, but he eventually was the victim of a fall to Cole Fuller of Western Wayne in 2:57.

“I got the chance to wrestle against the best in the state,” added Nosal. “They were all very good opponents. I was happy for the experience.”

Head coach Kyle Rusnock relished the experience for his wrestler.

“He did a fantastic job,” said Rusnock. “There are no easy matches here. He had a very good first match and he did a great job in the second. It is very hard to get takedowns.

“I thought Ben handled it very well. He had the last kid on his back, but then he flipped Ben.”

Rusnock was pleased to see Nosal’s positive reaction to his career coming to an end.

“That’s a tough thing to handle,” Rusnock said. “You’re at the pinnacle of your career and then you realize that these are your last matches. But he realized how hard it is to accomplish to get here. He put so much time into it both physically and mentally.

“I am very proud of his experience. He was a state qualifier and there are not many wrestlers who can say that.”

Nosal plans to attend Bloomsburg University next fall, but his wrestling career appears to be over.

“I am just going to concentrate on school,” he said. “I don’t see myself wrestling. This will be something that I never forget and I have plenty of time to digest it.”